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Scope: ST80; f/2.5 Location: Ramona CA 7/26/2003 Camera: ToUcam SC3
Exposure: 7 x 120 sec H-Alpha, 20 x 15 sec IR Block, 20 x 12 sec RGB Exposures
Processing: Captured aligned and stacked in K3CCDTools in with IR, HA,R,G,B saved as FITs. Luminance was a combination of IR, and HA exposures. Red was a combination of HA and Red. LRGB masters were registered in Astroart and combined in Photoshop. Some Lowpass filtering was applied followed by un-sharp mask on the Luminance frame in Astroart prior to LRGB combine in Photoshop. LRGB result was saved as a BMP. Background smoothed with SGBNR and minor touch up in Photoshop. Two separate images were then registered and color matched in Photoshop.
This image really started as two separate images; I had no intention f creating a mosaic. After individual processing I saw how the two images complemented one another to form a more complete structure. As a result, the un-imaged sections of the full rectangle appear in the upper left and lower right corners - but I believe even with this short coming, the two images together are more compelling than separate images. So I have presented the two images combined in this single image. Horizontal FOV is 100'.